06/03/2007 22:42:00

Chapter Ten

Blue For You, Black Drive (Part Four of Four)

When Rin turned in the general direction of Tsubasa and Souta, Souta had a difficult time not cringing at the sight of her. She was dressed all in black, and bathed in the light of the nearby streetlamps. The effect cast an eerie glow on her and made her look insane. In all honesty, she already looked crazy for her eyes were a pure black color and she was covered in blood and blue feathers.

And she was laughing.

If there was ever a time during which Souta had been more afraid for his life, he couldn't think of it.

Oh, my Rin-chan…. he thought. What has Yami no Yaiba done to you?

Even Yaiba seemed shocked at this turn of events, but that didn't stop him from being pleased at the perfect little assassin he created.

Kaze no Shizuka knelt beside what was left of Gekkou and wept for him. "Gekkou-sama!" she wailed, only to be stopped by Rin placing the naginata's blade next to her throat.

"You might want save that wail for while you're begging for your life." Rin murmured. "Or I could make it quick and simply slice off your head. I should have done that when you invaded our home while we were sleeping."

"Mama…"Tsubasa murmured. His mother was in danger and he had a shot at saving her, but he would have to face off against the dangerous Rin, who'd become a threat to all those who knew her and loved her. He remembered how she'd lashed out at her own mother and younger sister and nearly killed them. And then, in what had been her most monstrous act, she'd attacked Kei and left her to die.

"She's gone mad." Souta muttered.

"I have to save my mother." Tsubasa muttered, pulling out his Accellular.

"Tsubasa, no!" Souta yelled, but Tsubasa had already charged forth, yelling "Start UP!"

If someone told her that Satoru Akashi, the handsome Fiery Adventurer could be as gentle and loving in bed, as he could be passionate, Kei would have laughed. But, there she was, in bed with Satoru, and he loved her as though she was a treasure that needed special love and attention.

Kei was still weak from the drugs and for being in a coma, so her movements where not where she wanted them to be, but Satoru more than made up for that. Kei wondered where guys like Satoru where in 2031, because she'd been wondering how she could find a man like him. But, she had him and that was more than enough for her at the moment.

"Hey, you all right?" Satoru asked, pulling himself up a little because he noticed that she'd had trouble breathing. "You seem tired."

"It's just the drugs they gave me." Kei whimpered. "I can't keep going for much longer." She slumped against the bed and Satoru cradled her close to him. Her breathing was labored and she sounded more tired than she was. She seemed so fragile these days and Satoru personally wanted to punch Rin into next week for what she did, but he knew he couldn't. It just wasn't in his nature.

He sighed as he let Kei lie down on her side, her eyes gently closing. He decided to take pleasure in just watching her snooze, which he enjoyed until about an hour later when there was a knock at the door.

Not wanting to disturb Kei, Satoru got up and slipped a robe on before answering his bedroom door. "Who's there."

"Sakura."

Satoru was surprised. "Sakura?" He opened the door and there she was.

"Chief…I have something to tell you."

Kando's theory took well over an hour to explain to Sakurako and she listened patiently to what he had to say.

"You know, that actually sounds plausible." Sakurako said. "I'll look into this." She stood up and patted Hikari's knee. "You two hang in there."

"We will, Sakurako-sama." Kando said as she left, closing the door behind her.

Hikari smiled as Sakurako left, but then her smile faded. "Kando…"

He smiled gently at her, and crawled into her hospital bed , wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head. It didn't take long for Hikari to fall asleep and soon, Kando followed suit.

Satoshi lay on his bed, wondering why in the world Kei would have picked his father over him. He had more to offer Kei than his father. "I could give her everything she wanted and so much more…but she picks Dad over me. Why? He taught me everything I know." He rolled over on his side and sighed. "Could it have something to do with Kai and his death?"

"What could have something to do with Kai and his death?" A new voice asked and Kando shot up in his bed.

Sakurako was standing in the doorway. "You left your door open, Satoshi Akashi."

"Little Miss Voice?"

"In the flesh…and much younger than you remember, right?"

"I just remember pictures."

Sakurako laughed. "Now, what seems to be bothering you?

"My Chief, Kei-sama, she's dating my father and it makes me upset. What does he have that I don't have?"

"Red-kun is not one of her Boukengers." Sakurako replied. "You and Tsubasa are basically in the same boat. She can't love either of you because a) she doesn't want to ruin your professional relationship and B) because of what happened to Kai. She could never love a comrade after that. I bet she thought you two knew that."

Satoshi grumbled. "Well, obviously, we didn't!""

"She also has a point. Don't take it out on her brother." Sakurako sounded wiser than her age. "Talk to Kei. Get to the point…..but don't try to ruin her happiness because of jealousy. That's how friendships are destroyed and you don't want to destroy what you have with her, do you?"

Satoshi looked thoughtful and then he remembered how angry and hurt Kei had been when she talked to Tsubasa. He'd hid in the hallway and watched them talk and he saw Kei's face. He saw her face and how angry and wounded she'd looked and he wasn't surprised if she turned her anger on him. "Not really.."

Sakurako smiled. "Then some talking is most definitely in order."

"Rin, STOP!" Tsubasa yelled, pulling out his Blow Knuckle and arming it at her. "Knuckle Cannon!"

The blast hit Yami no Shizuka and sent her and Yaiba flying backwards and Tsubasa used the opportunity to go to his mother's side. "Mama…." He said.

Kaze no Shizuka was understandably confused. "Who are you and why are you calling me Mama?"

"I'm Tsubasa, your son." Tsubasa said.

"But you're a Boukenger….how could you be my son? And if you're my son, who's your father?"

Tsubasa sighed. "Would you please just trust me? Or do you want to die like this at the hands of Yami no Shizuka?"

Kaze looked confused and then, she realized something. "Wait a second…" Tsubasa groaned and yanked Kaze no Shizuka to her feet and attempted to lead her off the roof before Yami no Shizuka had a chance to recover. Kaze no Shizuka was reluctant, but desperate to stay alive. But they were almost caught by Yaiba, who blew them off the roof and they went flying, screaming.

Souta leaped up, concerned for his son. "Tsubasa!"

"I don't think that your son is who you should be concerned about, BoukenBlue. " Rin's voice, cold and taunting murmured in Souta's ear as he felt the cold blade of her naginata slide across his chest. "I think you should be more worried about yourself." The blade came up to his throat.

Souta gulped, now very, very scared.

"How does it feel, Mogami Souta….tell me how does it feel to know that your love of beautiful women is what's going to be the end of you?" She giggled and slowly came around to look into his eyes. All he could see now was black…her eyes were completely black and cold and she was still covered in blood and bird feathers…and there was still a smile on her face. "How does it feel, Souta, to know that the woman who is going to kill you is one who shared your bed with you, hmmm? One who knows all your secrets?" Rin laughed. "You were fun to be with Souta, even if only for a little while. You'll be even more fun when you're dead. One less Boukenger for me to worry about." The blade inched closer and Souta prayed to whatever deity who'd listen to spare his life. Finally, he restored to drastic measures. "BELLE, STOP!"

She froze and Souta noticed the kanji for "darkness", "yami", glow on her best. It pulsated and seemed to vanish. The blackness vanished from her eyes and she backed away, dropping the naginata.

"Souta?" She asked, quietly, confused. "What am I doing here?"

His eyes widened. The brainwashing must come with some sort of hitch. She couldn't remember what she'd done as Yami no Shizuka. She was most definitely brainwashed. Kando was right!

"Rin-chan?" Souta murmured, touching her face. "Do you remember me?"

She looked scared. "How did I get here? And why am I covered in blood and blue feathers?"

"You do remember, Rin-chan!" Souta embraced her tightly to him. "Oh, Rin-chan, it's all right. You're safe now."

"Souta…what's going on? The last thing I remember is looking into Yami no Yaiba's eyes and then, I'm here. What did I do?"

Souta didn't want to tell her all the monstrous things she'd done as Yami no Shizuka, so he said, "You don't want to remember."

Yaiba was alarmed. His hold over Yami no Shizuka had been broken! Had it been Souta's love for her? And then he noticed the fading of the sutra in her back.

They hadn't made love that night and the spell he'd cast was fading. He needed to get her back…fast.

So, he acted, sending a storm of papers around Souta and Rin and suddenly, Rin was gone from Souta's arms and she was in Yaiba's.

"You're not taking Yami no Shizuka from me." Yami no Yaiba said to Souta. "I love her and I want to keep her. She's mine, BoukenBlue! MINE!"

Souta was confused at Yaiba's words and suddenly, in a swirl of wind , they were gone.

"Rin-chan…" Souta murmured, falling to his knees. "Belle-chan…" Tears formed in his eyes and the ache in his heart grew louder and stronger. Suddenly, he remembered about his son and he peered over the side of the building. "Tsubasa!"

"I'm fine, Dad!" Tsubasa yelled. "But Mom took off!"

"That's all right!" Souta called. "Let's get back to the museum."

"So, you really are marrying Eiji." Satoru's tone worried Sakura. "I figured."

"It's nothing personal, Chief, it's just that Takaoka-san and I are in love. He makes me happy…and I thought you should know." Sakura was visibly nervous, her fragile voice shaky.

"I would have liked to have known a little while ago…around the time you started dating." Satoru didn't intend for the coldness to creep into his voice, but it did.

All the color drained from Sakura's face. "You knew?"

"Of course, I knew and the fact that you two hid it from me…"

"I didn't want everyone to know about my personal life, that's all and Takaoka-san was so nervous about everything that he went along with my wishes. I wanted to keep some things private, Chief. You don't have to know everything."

"I would like to, though. Seeing as how I am Chief and all…but clearly, you didn't think as much of me as I thought you did. If you did, you wouldn't have lied or snuck around."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I would have had to lie if you weren't so dense!" Her hurt and her slight jealousy of her own child came in full force from her voice. "I loved you from the moment I met you! I waited for you, patiently, hoping that maybe one day, one day, my patience would be rewarded and you would see that I loved you. But, it looked as though I was going to be waiting forever!" Tears formed in her eyes. "I don't want to wait forever for you…no woman should have to wait forever! So, when Takaoka-san looked at me, paid attention to me and loved me, how could I not say no? And now he wants to marry me! ME! Sakura Nishihori! Me, the unemotional, quiet sub-chief, who will probably carry a torch for you for the rest of her life!"

Meanwhile, Kei's eyes fluttered open and she could hear her mother's words. It was like listening to them fight in 2031. It broke her heart to have to listen to this again.

"And I'm telling you this now because I want to have some chance of saving our relationship before it becomes like Kei said it will become! I want to change that, Chief. I still want us to be friends."

Satoru looked away and Kei could take it no longer. Thanking the deities above, she slowly got out of bed, only to collapse on the floor and cry "Kyoko!"

"Kei!" Satoru cried, turning from the door and going to her side.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought Satoshi was lying about you and Kei." Her voice was frigid. "As it turns out you are getting cozy with my daughter."

"Satoru-san couldn't love you because of Kyoko." Kei murmured weakly. "When she died, he shut off his heart. He couldn't love another comrade after she died." It took her a lot effort to sit up. "But he knew, all this time, that you loved him, Mother, but he never said anything because he didn't want to break your heart."

Sakura's knees became wobbly. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew." Satoru sighed. "I care about you, Sakura, but I didn't want to ruin our relationship or drive you out of SGS. That's why I didn't tell you and that's why I said nothing about you and Eiji. You were happy and I admit that I was jealous."

"Satoru-san…" Kei was clinging to him.

Sakura looked at her feet. "And see, here I am, jealous of my own daughter because she has the one thing I've always wanted." She looked straight at her daughter and her Chief and tried to keep the pain of heartbreak out of her voice. "She's got your heart, Chief." With that, she turned from the room and ran down the hallway. In the distance, a door slammed.

"You know…does she really love Eiji or is she using him as substitute for me?" Satoru thought aloud.

"Well…I'm here, aren't I?" Kei murmured.

Sakura collapsed behind the door of her room and sobbed her heart out. She wanted Eiji's warmth and strength…she needed it. Whatever love she had left for Satoru died in her heart. He'd chosen her daughter over her and now, she needed her fiancé. As the tears died away, she took a breath. She loved Eiji with her whole heart and she always would., but a small part of her would love Satoru, too. She exhaled and sighed, crawling into bed. She needed rest.

"Masumi?" Natsuki knocked on the door of Masumi's bathroom. "Masumi, are you in there?"

She could hear water running in the room and she grew worried. "Masumi?" She knocked louder. "Masumi!" She began to panic. "MASUMI!" She tried the door and it opened.

Natsuki screamed. "MASUMI!"

There was blood all over the bathroom. Masumi, still fully clothed, except for his SGS jacket, was lying in the bathtub, his wrists slit and blood was still coming out his wounds. On the mirror, he'd painted "Forgive me, Natsuki" in his own blood.

Natsuki kept screaming. "Masumi! MASUMI!" She ran to her fiancé's side. "Masumi, please wake up!" She ran to the door and started screaming for anyone who could hear her. "Help! Somebody PLEASE! HELP!" Natsuki began sobbing hysterically. "MASUMI! MASUMI…don't leave Natsuki, please.."

It killed Yami no Yaiba to do it, but he had to knock Rin out in order to get back his perfect little killer. Once she woke up, he carefully tied her to the bed and prepared the spells and candles. He'd have his Princess of Darkness for his bride this night and once he was finished the marriage ceremony, she would be his…now and always.

Yaiba knelt before the bed and began murmuring the brainwashing spell, setting the Three Neck Dragon of Darkness before Rin, allowing its power to seep into her, taking her over and dragging her deeper than ever before. The effect was like watching her orgasm when they made love; she would wail and cry and twist around and it turned Yaiba on to watch and he was temped to take her right then and there, just to reinforce the work of the sutras, but he had to wait. He was going to do this right.

Yaiba raised his hands and released his paper cranes and they became paper flowers that he laid around their bed. "Yami no Shizuka?" he asked. "Are you with me?"

"Yami no Yaiba?" Rin murmured attempting to sit up. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't worry." Yaiba murmured, crawling onto the bed and untying her wrists, carefully sinking his sutras into her body. "Come with me, we're going to get married."

"Right now?"

"Yes…" He opened his faceplate and kissed her. "…now."

Natsuki, still covered in blood, sat by Masumi's hospital bed,, hugging Hikari to her. Masumi was still alive, thank god, and he was going to make it. But, Natsuki demanded answers.

"Masumi, why? Why would you kill yourself?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "Why would you leave Natsuki?"

"Rin…what's happened to her….it's all my fault…"Masumi croaked. "I ignored the darkness, I let it get this far. I let it be born in the heart of my daughter and she's gone with Yaiba. He's controlling her!"

Natsuki whimpered. "Don't you still want to marry Natsuki, Masumi?" She reached out and touched his hand. "Don't you want to be a family with her?"

Masumi looked at her. "Of course I do…" He smiled sadly. "I love you, Natsuki, but I blame myself for what's happened to Rin."

"Dad, this entire thing with nee-chan is not your fault." Hikari said. "She made her own path and she's got to follow it. She was trying to do the right thing and Yaiba got to her. It was not because of you."

Masumi sighed. "I don't believe this! How could I have let this happen!?"

Hikari sighed. "Dad! Get over your guilt! THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT!"

Masumi looked into his younger daughter's eyes and sighed and then looked away. It's all my fault…it will always be my fault.

Yaiba had dressed Rin in a beautiful black gown and veil to prepare her for marriage and they knelt before the 3 Neck Dragon of Darkness and the altar he'd prepared.

"Do you object to this, Yami no Shizuka?" Yaiba asked, lifting the veil to look into her eyes. "Once the darkness approves and seals our binding, it can't be broken. We were born in darkness…"

"…to be wed in darkness." She finished. "If you are so determined to have me for your wife, Yami no Yaiba, why are you waiting?"

He chuckled, taking her hand and encouraging her to move her other hand the same way he did as he recited the wedding ritual.

The smoke from the candles seemed to take on a life of their own and swirl around the couple, surrounding them, enveloping them. Neither of them had ever felt stronger than they did while they were binding their hearts together in darkness and power, and in a deep, passionate love for one another. The power was almost overwhelming for Rin and she began to pant.

"…Yaiba!" she called, her heart thundering in her ears.

He grew worried at her tone. The Three Neck Dragon of Darkness had clearly not put enough power into her body to make her able to handle the marriage spell. So, he plucked the thing off the altar and put it in her hand,. It reacted and emitted enough dark energy that the candles seemed to blow out, all of which enveloped Rin, seeping into the core of her being, turning her heart into black ice and her eyes onyx jewels.

"Are you better now, Yami no Shizuka?"

Rin nodded. "Let's finish what we started."

"Well, at least he didn't stop speaking to you." Eiji said as he lay in bed next to Sakura. "I can't believe that you two were holding torches for each other for so long. It'd be funny if you weren't involved."

Sakura sighed. "I think I may have destroyed my relationship with Chief." She was staring at the ceiling. "But it felt so good to finally confess my feelings! It was liberating…and now, I can love you fully, for a great weight has been lifted off my chest." Her voice grew softer. "…but the cost…." She sniffled.

Eiji felt for Sakura, he really did, but he was secretly happy. Now, he didn't have to worry about Satoru exacting revenge on him and Sakura for being happy together. But, the pain in his beloved's voice made him think. Had being with Sakura and asking her for her hand in marriage really been worth all the pain she was going through? Was happiness and love, two things he'd never known before worth all this?

Tsubasa lay in his bed all bruised up after saving his mother and he sighed. He wanted to fix his relationship with Kei, but he knew that it wouldn't be easy. He had a long road ahead of him, especially since he had to win back her trust.

"Oh. Tsubasa, you did get hurt." Kei's voice spoke from the doorway. "Your bruises look terrible."

"Kei-chan?" Tsubasa rolled over and there she was, looking more beautiful than ever, despite wearing a red robe over her hospital gown.

"Hi, Tsubasa." Kei came in, smiling and she had to stop to catch her breath. "I have to talk to you."

"Are you all right, Kei-chan?" Tsubasa asked, watching as she struggled to get herself to his bed.

"I'm sorry." Kei wheezed. "I didn't mean to get angry at you."

"it's all right, Kei-chan." Tsubasa said as he got up, and helped her get to his bed. "I understand. You needed to vent and you vented."

"Tsubasa, I know that you care for me and it's very flattering, but I'm afraid to fall in love with a comrade. I couldn't do it after Kai died, it was too painful. That is why I can't love you." Her breathing was horrible and Tsubasa wondered if those scatterbrained doctors had bothered to check for complications while she was in a coma. "I chose Satoru because he was a man after my own heart and not one of my Boukengers. I've spent most of my life in love with the ideal of this man and now that I have gotten to know him, I love him more."

Tsubasa understood. After Kai's death, Kei had been lonely and her heart empty. Now, she'd found someone who made her happy and loved her and she was enjoying it…or at least, she was trying to. "I'm happy for you, Kei-chan."

"You are?"

"Yes…I love you and I want you to be happy…even if it's not with me."

Kei smiled. She could forgive him now.

If things kept going Yaiba's way, he and Rin could summon the darkness to Earth in no time. Now, he had Rin as his bride in darkness, the ceremony going quite nicely after the minor complication. Their union was sealed with a kiss and the binding of their black hearts.

Now, his Dark Princess (soon to be queen if she disposed of the Boukengers), was up to something. He watched, half in interest, half in amusement, as she lit black candles around their large bed, and removed her black wedding veil. She laughed. "Time to celebrate." She purred, undoing the clasps on her Mandarin style dress and slowly letting it slide off her body. She'd deliberately put nothing on. "Coming to bed, Yaiba?" she purred.

Souta was beginning to think that he'd never get any sleep. The entire scene between him and Rin from earlier kept playing over and over again in his mind, from her attempt at killing him to the vulnerability in her eyes when she snapped out of it, to the sight of Yami no Yaiba snatching her from his arms, growling that she was his. The vision haunted him and all he wanted was for her to be in his arms again.

"Rin-chan….how can I get you back?" He was beginning to think that he could never get her back. Yaiba would definitely have strengthened the spell he cast by now. It might prove harder to break, if not impossible. But Souta was determined. He would figure this out. He had his friends to help him. He would get Rin Inou back.

The next few weeks proved to be anything but routine. The two sets of Boukenger spent equal time fighting off Gaja and Ryooun and trying to figure out if Kaze no Shizuka was still alive. She'd vanished after Tsubasa had saved her from sharing Gekkou's fate.

And then there was Rin/Yami no Shizuka and Yami no Yaiba. Just as Souta expected, Yaiba had strengthened the spell he'd cast and with it came an increase in Yami no Shizuka's strength.

She was at least twice as dangerous as she was before and she showed little, if any mercy. She apparently lived to taunt them and use their emotions against them. This seemed to work especially well with Hikari and Kei.

Hikari, still reeling from her father's suicide attempt, was more fragile than Kei and it didn't take long for Yami no Shizuka to break her and she spent three days in the psychiatric ward of the SGS hospital, trapped in a straight jacket, freaking out. Kando had wanted to go out and kill something and it got to the point in which Kando had to be sedated just so he would shut the hell up. For Natsuki, this was pushing her to the breaking point and she became so afraid for her life that she spent the nights in Masumi's hospital bed, afraid to be alone.

Yami no Shizuka seemed to take a special pleasure in making Kei go Ashu, an event that happened on two occasions: when Kei was stressed and when she was angry. Apparently, it was a lot easier to harm Kei when her Ashu fourth took over and Yami exploited this fact to the extent that Kei nearly killed herself to prevent being seen in her Ashu state.

Eiji was not happy about this turn of events, but no one else seemed very willing to let him kill Rin. Not when there was still a chance to save her and make her herself again.

"She's exploiting my Ashu heritage!" Eiji all but roared at Satoru one afternoon, while Kei, lay in the hospital, doctors applying stitches to a fresh wound on her body. "She's trying to slaughter my daughter like she's some animal! That is my child!"

"Yami no Shizuka has some sort of plan in mind." Satoru was calm as always, even though the fire in his blood was burning hotter than ever. "If we kill her now, we'll never figure out what she's after."

Eiji clenched his fists. "Thank goodness I have control." He muttered. "Although if you want…"

"Eiji, no." Satoru said firmly. "You work on keeping your Ashu half under control and tell Kando to do the same. The last thing we need are three wild Ashu running around!"

Kei could hear them and she could almost feel her father's anger. She sighed and turned over to the mirror in her hospital room. She wished she had someone to talk to. Everyone else seemed to be off hunting Rin before she actually killed someone.

Suddenly the mirror seemed to glow white and a woman slowly stepped out of it, dressed all in gauzy white clothing, with white hair and glowing eyes, an odd purplish mark beneath her left eye. A pendant that looked like a flower was draped around her neck. Kei gasped.

"Grandmother?" she whispered and the woman smiled.

"My lovely Kei." The woman was the Ashu demoness known as Kei, Kei and Kando's grandmother and Eiji's mother. She smiled and made her way to her grandchild's bedside. She looked worried. "What happened to you?"

"I got hurt, Grandmother." The younger Kei said. "My former best friend tried to kill me…after she made me go Ashu. "

The older Kei looked surprised. "That can happen?"

"In me, yes…in my father and brother, no." the younger Kei sighed and looked away. "I must be vulnerable because I'm female."

Her grandmother sat down on the bed and patted her daughter's leg. "You've done a good job carrying on your father's legacy, Kei. He must be very proud of you."

The younger Kei smiled. "yeah, he's real proud of my brother and me." She sighed. "But, now, I don't know what to do, Grandmother. How can I defeat my best friend when she's stronger than ever and twice as dangerous? How can I bring her back?"

Kei smiled and came to lie beside her older grandchild , stroking her hair. "To bring her back, my Kei, you have to thaw her heart of black ice."

"Her heart of black ice?" The younger Kei was confused.

"Yes…the spell cast on her is powerful and it turned her heart to black ice. You have to thaw it to break the spell…,but that can only be accomplished by someone who loves her fully, with their whole heart."

"Well, I love her, but not like that." Kei murmured thoughtfully. "But I do know someone who DOES love her that way."

"Then its up to that person to save her from herself before she's lost to darkness forever…and then you'll never get her back."

The younger Kei sighed. "Are you sure?"

The older Kei smiled. "I'm positive."

"So, I'm supposed to believe Red-chan based on something that her grandmother told her?" Mr. Voice sounded skeptical and rightfully so. Everything that Kei said that her grandmother told her sounded slightly strange, but then again, Grandmother Kei was known for being a little odd.

"Grandmother wouldn't have mentioned how to break the spell of no one else could do it."" Kando wasted no time in coming to his older sister's defense. "Once of us here loves Rin purely, fully and that is the only person who can destroy the hold that Yaiba was over Rin and cleanse her. "

"But who could do such a thing?" Natsuki asked.

Kando, Kei and Hikari all turned towards Souta. "Souta-sensei can do it." Kei said, calmly. "He's the only love who has a pure, non family love for Rin and since he somehow broke the spell once, I'm pretty positive he can do it again."

"But won't Yaiba be onto that?" Satoru asked. "I mean, wasn't he there when Souta broke the spell over Rin the last time?"

"He was there…" Souta murmured thoughtfully. "…getting those two apart is hard, if not impossible." His voice trailed off as he remembered Rin's eyes slowly turning back to their normal color.

Souta? He could almost hear her voice again and his determination to get her back filled him.

"I'll do it." Souta clenched his fists.

"He'll be dead before he can even approach her." Sakura muttered to Eiji.

"Don't underestimate the power of a man in love." Eiji said.

"All right then." Kei put on her best "Chief" voice. "Boukengers: our new mission: save Rin before we lose her for good." She snapped her fingers. "Attack!"

Even though she hadn't given birth to Kei yet, Sakura had somehow figured out that Kei was putting on her best Chief façade for the sake of her remaining Boukenger. Call it "mother's intuition".

"Kei, you don't have to put on this act for your Boukengers." Sakura said after Kei's team left to track Yami no Shizuka and Yami no Yaiba from their last known location. "It's okay to be upset about Rin."

"I am upset about Rin, but the person who's been attacking me, hurting me, attempting to KILL me, is not Rin. That is not my best friend. My best friend is trapped in Yami no Shizuka's body and I'm going to get her out…or die trying."

Sakura had to admire her daughter's determination. "Do you really think you can do it, Kei?"

"Yes, Mother, I think I can." Kei was having a difficult time not picturing the look on her mother's face from her confrontation with Satoru a few weeks before and she sighed.

"I'm not upset about what's going on with you and Chief." Sakura said, her words taking Kei by surprise.

Kei's eyebrows went up. "You're not?"

"No, I'm not." Sakura smiled. "Does he make you happy?"

Kei looked at her feet, bit her lip and then looked into her mother's eyes. "Yes, mother…he makes me very happy." At the thought of spending time in Satoru's arms, Kei's heart began to speed up. "He makes me happier than Kai did."

Sakura remembered Kei telling her about what happened to her former fiancé, Kai Tomasu and Sakura began to understand. Her daughter was simply following her heart….just like Sakura was.

"Then, if Chiefu is the man who makes you happy, then I can't object to that."

Kei was surprised, to say the least , and she smiled. Her mother had come around. "Thank you, Mom." She said, softly, giving her mother a hug.

Sakura smiled and patted her daughter's back. Kei had come a long way and Sakura was very proud. " I know you can save Rin. We're counting on you and Souta-kun."

Sakurako was surprised at how Kei had managed to pull herself together "Looks like Red-kun did pick a worthy successor." She said as she tapped something on her computer, watching the scene between Sakura and Kei. "You couldn't ask for a better red." She sighed. "I'm glad she asked for me to pitch in a little. Those two have been hard to track recently. Let's see if this new SGS technology on loan from SGS USA can help."

Finding Yami no Shizuka and Yami no Yaiba was proving to be harder than anyone anticipated. Being ninjas, they only appeared on the radar briefly before vanishing again and it was becoming increasingly frustrating.

"She's trying to outsmart us." Masumi said, picking at the bandages around his wrists. "I'll bet you anything that Yaiba's helping her stay hidden."

"Of course, he's helping her!" Souta cried. "He claims that he's in love with her and he's not letting her go without a fight."

"Then if it's a fight that Yaiba wants, it's a fight he's going to get." Kei said, clenching her fists together.

"Funny how you should say that, Takaoka Kei." Rin's voice, cold and taunting came from the LCD screen behind the two teams. A flash and Rin suddenly appeared, still dressed as Yami no Shizuka and wearing the most evil of smiles.

"Yami no Shizuka…" Kei muttered.

"In the flesh." Rin crowed. "Having fun looking for me? I imagine you'd be looking harder if I'd actually murdered Souta in front of Tsubasa." She twirled her naginata.

"Where are you?!" Kei shouted, her fists so tightly clenched that her knuckles were turning white.

"Like I'm going to tell you." Yami no Shizuka snickered. "I'm not going to let you ruin my happiness with my husband, you demonic killjoy."

"It's one fourth!" Kei yelled. "Get it right, you bitch!"

"Oh, I'm the bitch?" Yami no Shizuka was taunting Kei and Kei was playing, (purely because she inherited Eiji's rashness) right into her hands. "Look at you, the demonic love child of the Sub-Chief and Akashi's little Half demon pet. No wonder your mother had nightmares when she was pregnant with you!"

Kei was beginning to lose it, for her hair was beginning to turn the same white color as her widow's peak.

"Nee-chan, calm down." Kando gripped his sister's arm. "Your hair is beginning to whiten."

"GO TO HELL, INOU BELLE!" Kei shrieked, chucking Rin's Accellular at the screen. "YOU ARE DEAD TO ME! DO YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!" The rest of her words became a demonic scream as the Accellular hit the monitor as Rin began laughing, her voice echoing through the salon.

The monitor shattered on contact and Kei collapsed to her knees, screaming, before her screams became sobs and she just collapsed into tears before getting up and tearing out of the room.

"Nee-chan!" Kando shouted, giving chase. "Nee-chan, wait!"

Souta looked at the shattered monitor and then at Rin's Accellular, which lay on the floor in pieces. He sighed. Did he really have a chance of bringing Rin back to herself? Was he really the only one who could do it?

I like you, Souta-sensei! Rin, this time as herself, appeared in Souta's memories. She was wearing her regular SGS uniform and smiling at him, her eyes sparkling. I like being with you! Her face became more serious. Please come and save me…

Natsuki slowly sank to her knees and wept. "Did Natsuki really give birth to something so evil, Masumi?"

Meanwhile, Yami no Shizuka was laughing at just how insane she'd driven Kei. It was all part of her plan. "Seeing her that upset just tickles me." She declared as she got up and walked around former base of Dark Shadow, idly twirling her naginata. "And now…to bait Souta into coming to me. I love my husband…but this will be much more fun if I had a slave to cater to me." Yami no Shizuka chuckled, her eyes taking on a dark glint. "…and Souta-sensei just can't resist a pretty girl" She cast a glance at Kaze no Shizuka, bound and gagged in a corner. "Isn't that right, Kaze?"

The girl looked positively terrified.

"Hey, be thankful, you shape shifting whore!" Yami no Shizuka snapped. "I could have tortured you! I could have offered you up as a sacrifice to bless my dark marriage! Instead, I kept you alive so you can lure Souta-sensei to me. And now…well…time to serve your purpose." Yami no Shizuka leaned into the other female Shinobi and smiled. "And once you've done your purpose, I'm going to let you go…but only if you leave Japan. Otherwise….I'm going to kill you….slowly."

"Why not just kill me after I've played bait?" Shizuka demanded in her usual whiny voice.

"Because if you die now, there's a possibility that Tsubasa will vanish…and I intend to enslave both father and son."

"And what, use them to clean up after you?" Shizuka asked.

Yami no Shizuka smiled. "Well…I admit the sex with Yaiba is thrilling…but it would be nice to feel human flesh on mine again after making love to that armor. That's what your future husband and your son will be for. Even the Princess of Darkness needs sex and I can't demand it from Yaiba all the time."

"You mean, that crazy BoukenBlue really is my son?" Kaze remembered the death of Gekkou and how that boy had come to her aid. He'd called her "mama". Suddenly, Shizuka was filled with rage. "How dare you! That's my SON!"

Yami no Shizuka shoved Kaze down on the floor and aimed the naginata at her throat. "You know…I think I will kill you."

"Yami no Shizuka, stop." Yaiba's voice made her freeze. "Killing her won't get your goal accomplished." He approached his dark bride and touched her chin. "You do want the Mogami father and son as your pets, don't you?"

Yami no Shizuka nodded and tossed the weapon aside. "Can't do that if Souta-sensei's biggest weakness is dead."

"Why not lure him out yourself?" Kaze asked.

"Because that would be too obvious a trap." Yami no Shizuka replied, slapping the other girl across the face and forcibly yanking her close. "Now, this is what I want you to do for me…."

Eiji had recognized the symbol that was one the jewelry that Yami no Shizuka was wearing, so he hit the books to read up on it and brought back some disturbing news.

"A Dark Marriage?" Sakura asked, peering over Eiji's shoulder. "What's that?" The older Boukengers had gathered in a quiet section of the SGS library.

"It's a very elaborate bonding ceremony that marries those with high levels of darkness together. Basically, it bonds their black hearts." Eiji explained. "It was commonly used among Ashu tribes." He pointed to some pictures of jewelry in the book. "Rin was wearing stuff like this in her broadcast. Look at the symbols. I saw them engraved in her jewelry."

"What are they?" Natsuki asked. "And why is this so important?"

"These symbols are also words for darkness in many languages…they aid in the bonding ceremony." Eiji sighed. "I'm guessing that Yaiba forcibly induced the darkness in Rin and then married her, eradicating her pure heart. We don't have much time before the darkness consumes her completely."

"How much time do we have?" Souta asked.

Eiji sighed. "Three days…since he must have entered into the Dark Marriage right after what happened with Souta."

"Out of desperation, most likely." Satoru said. "We should tell the others."

Just then, Kando and Hikari came charging into the library, panting.

"Nee-chan's escaped!" Kando cried. "She chewed through the straps we put on her at the psychiatric ward!"

"You put Kei in the nut house again?" Satoru asked.

"We didn't have a choice!" Hikari said. "She was going crazy and she'd gone totally Ashu on us, so we sort of had to sedate her before she actually did anything with her and we can't use the metal chains because she uses them as weapons. Yami no Shizuka has really done a number on her." Hikari looked at the book Eiji was looking at. "What's that you have there. Eiji-sama?"

"I found out the reason why Yami no Shizuka seems to have an increase in power." Eiji explained as he told Hikari and Kando about the Dark Marriage.

"So, we have 3 days to save nee-chan before she becomes Yami no Shizuka forever?" Hikari asked. "That's not a lot of time, especially since we have no idea where she and Yami no Yaiba are."

"2000 yen says that's what Yaiba was counting on." Sakura muttered.

At that moment, Souta's Accellular rang and a high-pitched, childish voice answered "BoukenBlue!"

Souta gasped. "Shizuka-chan!"

Tsubasa and Souta where not expecting to find Yami no Shizuka waiting in the clearing with a bound and gagged Kaze no Shizuka.

"Playing right into my hands BoukenBlues." Yami no Shizuka teased. "You two are so much alike…can't resist a pretty girl in danger." The naginata inched its way up Shizuka's front. Yami no Shizuka laughed. "So, this is what we're going to do….you two surrender your wills to me and I will let little Miss Kaze here go free. Refuse ands he dies…and if she dies, Tsubasa dies with her, for he will cease to exist without his mommy. How sad."

"Wills meaning…" Tsubasa was confused.

"She wants us to become her slaves." Souta clarified. "She wants us to surrender our free wills to her and become her servants."

"More like pets, but yes, that's the idea." Yami no Shizuka chuckled.

"Do you really want both of us? I will surrender my will, but only if you let Shizuka and my son go free." Souta said, stepping forward.

Yami no Shizuka raised an eyebrow and regarded Souta coldly. "All right, BoukenBlue senior." She said, snapping her fingers and pulling out a contract, complete with a quill pen. A flick of her wrist and the pen moved towards Souta. She laughed. "Oh, you'll have to prick your finger and sign in blood. That way I will really know you've signed your life away."

Souta took the pen and gave both Kaze and Tsubasa a look, before pricking his finger and using the small amount of blood to write "Mogami Souta" at the bottom of the scroll. Yami no Shizuka's smile grew more sinister.

"DONE!" She announced as she snatched up the scroll and examined the signature. "And now, BoukenBlue belongs to me." She snapped her fingers and the chains binding Kaze no Shizuka came away and a blue and silver collar appeared around Souta's neck. Souta's eyes became empty and glassy and his expression blank. Even thought she hated to do it, Yami no Shizuka kept her word and let Shizuka go. She smiled and pulled Souta to her with a special chain made of silver. "Bye, bye." Yami no Shizuka waved and with a poof, the two were gone.

Tsubasa had to give Kei credit. At least she didn't kill him right away. Instead she gave him one of her pointed deadly glares. "Tell me this… WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, TSUBASA!?" She roared.

"My mother was in danger…what the heck did you want me to do? Stand around and wait for Yami no Shizuka to kill her? What if it was your mother, Kei-san? What would you have done? My father signed his freedom away for me! You can't just abandon him. Not like that…it's not fair!"

Kei looked away. It wasn't fair, that was true. She couldn't just abandon Souta and leave him in the clutches of Yami no Shizuka. He was Tsubasa's father and, despite the fact that she still thought of Tsubasa Mogami as a part time jerk, she cared for him.

"Why?" Kei asked.

"What?" Tsubasa asked.

"Do you know why Souta-sensei signed away his freedom?" Kei asked.

Tsubasa shrugged. "He asked if I could be let go if he signed the contract."

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a) Souta being the only one who can break the spell Yaiba has on Yami no Shizuka and/or b) the Dark Marriage, would it?"

"How did you know about…" Hikari began.

"I read the same books my dad reads." Kei said. "But I don't think that Souta was counting on Yami no Shizuka casting a spell to completely strip him of his free will."

"How do you plan for something like that?" Satoshi asked.

"You don't." Kei replied

"I see you only got one of them." Yami no Yaiba commented as he watched Souta nuzzle Yami no Shizuka's thigh. "He seems quite content."

Shizuka laughed. "He's got no free will, so he does what I tell him to do, when I tell him to do it. He signed away his whole life just to belong to me." She fingered Souta's Accellular. "Eventually, I plan to sic him on his Boukengers after injecting him with a little dark power." She stroked his hair. "And now, I have everything I want."

Yaiba nodded and kissed Shizuka's hand before moving to her neck. "Yes…you will receive everything your black little heart desires, Yami no Shizuka."

"Now that nothing's holding us back, Yami no Yaiba, it's time we moved towards our Ultimate Goal: cover the world in darkness so we can rule over it." She held up the Three Neck Dragon of Darkness. "I say we've put it off long enough. I say, it's time we struck the Boukengers hard and fast, but this time, instead of going after the younger generation, we go after the older generation." Yami no Shizuka smiled. "In fact, I have a specific Boukenger in mind."

"Oh? Who?"

Yami no Shizuka waved her fingers at the smoke coming from the black candles and the image of Satoru Akashi and Kei Takaoka appeared. Yami no Shizuka watched the scene of them in Satoru's bed unfold before she waved her hand in disgust to make the image vanish.

"I thought you were done targeting Kei." Yaiba said as he placed his hands on Shizuka's shoulders.

"Oh, I am. It's not Kei I'm after." Another wave of her hand and Satoru appeared in the smoke. "…It's her lover."

"You know…I thought you'd go after your mother…."

"I would, except that, see, I like existing." Yami no Shizuka examined the image of Satoru created in the smoke and then let the smoke surround her body so she could change into black leather pants, a black top and silver jewelry. It was what she called her "Going out" clothing. She quickly did her hair up and smiled. "Time to go kill the one thing that Kei loves more than anything else. They may not have been together very long, but…they're soul mates. Can't you see? The bond between them is so powerful that it's only breakable by death…or a forced separation. They share…an adventurer's heart and I'm going to crush it beneath my heel."

"Sounds like you have a plan." Yaiba commented.

"I do…and I never really liked Satoshi anyway."

Kei lay awake next to Satoru, trying not to let the tight feeling in her chest become overwhelming.

"Is something wrong?" Satoru asked, rolling over to face her.

"I have a bad feeling, Satoru." Kei murmured. "I think Yami no Shizuka is going to be consumed before we can get to her. Souta's been stripped of his will and he was the only person who could break the spell. There are less than 3 days before we lose her forever and I don't know if I can get through to her anymore."

His arms curled around her waist and pulled her close and he nuzzled her. "You shouldn't give up so easily."

"Satoru, remember how much she's destroyed…remember what she's done…remember how quickly she forgot about everything that used to mean something to her! That's not my best friend anymore. That's someone wearing my best friend's face…using her memories, speaking in her voice…that's not Belle Inou! She's trapped in there and I don't know if I can get her out."

"Are you giving up on saving her, even though you know there's a chance to save her?"

"I don't have a choice. She's pretty much gone as it is." Kei's eyes became wet and she sighed, trying to force herself to fall asleep.

"Natsuki's worried about her Rin-chan." Natsuki rolled over to face Masumi. "Natsuki knows that the window to save her Rin is shrinking…but Natsuki doesn't think that Rin can be saved."

"Don't say things like that." Masumi idly picked at the bandages on his arms. "I didn't give up when I had to rescue you from the Quester and look where we are now."

"But Natsuki doesn't want future Natsuki to lose her daughter." Natsuki murmured. "What is Natsuki going to do?"

"Leave it up to the new generation." Masumi said. "We can't get through to her, although she won't kill us because she likes existing. She needs us to stay alive so she'll live. But I have confidence that Souta will break the spell. After all…he can't resist a pretty girl."

"Yes! Natsuki understands!" Natsuki smiled. "Souta-san will save our daughter! He has to…"

Masumi sighed. Natsuki may have thwarted his suicide attempt, but he knew that she wouldn't let him go without putting up a fight. Masumi was all Natsuki had and all she was ever going to have. He understood how important things like this were to her.

"And if Souta-san doesn't save Rin, then Natsuki will! Rin won't hurt Natsuki!" Natsuki curled against Masumi's warm body. "Natsuki and Masumi won't give up hope, right?"

Masumi smiled. Even in a particularly dark hour, Natsuki managed to fill his heart with sunshine. "Masumi won't give up."

The next day, the 10 Boukengers sat in the salon, all of them occupied with eating something. The room was quieter than normal and everyone kept glancing at Kei as though she was ready to explode.

"We have two days left." Hikari murmured. "Two days before we lose my nee-chan forever to Yaiba and his dark marriage."

"Stop saying it like that." Kando said. "You're taking as though it's the end of the world."

"It's the end of my world." Hikari muttered.

Kei sighed. "So, what do we do now? Paperwork until we get a report of a new Precious?'

"I hate paperwork." Tsubasa said, casting a glance at his father's guitar.

"It's an important task!" Kei snapped.

"It's mundane!" Satoshi added.

"Be quiet!" Kei shouted. "For once in your lives pay attention to me!"

Suddenly, Mr. Voice appeared on the monitor. "Good morning, Boukengers…where's Blue-kun?"

"He signed away his free will to become Yami no Shizuka's servant." Satoru replied. "It's a long story."

Mr. Voice looked surprised and then he continued. "Well…this morning we received a tip of a Precious located in the mountains. We weren't given any details about it, but…we think you should check it out."

"All ten of us?" Kei asked.

"Yes, Takaoka-chan, all ten of you…since you're missing members and what not. Safety in numbers…and look out for Yami no Shizuka and Yaiba…those two have been unusually active lately and they may be after this."

"As if we needed something else to worry about." Sakura muttered.

"Is that all, Mr. Voice?" Satoru asked.

"Yes…and be careful. I don't want anyone to wind up dead." With that, he vanished.

Kei and Satoru looked at each other. "Do you want to do it or should I?" Kei asked.

Satoru snapped his fingers. "Boukengers, move out! Mission start!"